10 best malbec wines: Reds that will add flair to any dinner party

Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

Nicolas Cantena Zapata, whose family first planted vines in Argentina in 1902, is the man credited with reviving the production of quality high altitude malbec. His daughter Laura now runs the business, making wines of exceptional quality; such as this wine made from five prestigious vineyard sites in the Mendoza region.

It has gorgeous, rich, blueberry and cassis flavours, a hint of spice and a long, satisfying, plummy finish: a level of sophistication and elegance that is often only found in wines twice the price. A great wine for a winter dinner party, particularly if red meat or a big casserole is the centrepiece.

Best: Chilean malbec

Rating: 9/10

Chile has followed its South American neighbour in making great altitude malbec and this is a very fine example of a wine from the Central Valley, made by experienced winemaker Hernan de la Barra. This has quite forward ripe plum and blackberry flavours, with robust tannins and a really big mouthfeel. It is vegan friendly and so is a great wine for substantial vegetable dishes, like a lentil shepherds pie, but also, of course, for meat dishes. Sadly, it’s currently out of stock, but be sure to check back in soon for more.

Best: Organic wine

Rating: 9/10

A sensational, elegant, Malbec from Cahors in the southwest of France, where the grape still thrives but is often associated with quite heavy tannic wines and needs many years in the bottle. This is very different.

Made organically, the grapes from 90-year-old vines are allowed to naturally ferment, resulting in wine that is simply wonderfully balanced: between concentration and purity of fruit, with vibrant, blueberry and damson flavours, that linger long on the palate. Serve with a rare organic steak or simple roast pork.

Best: Bargain buy

Rating: 7/10

This is an almost unbelievably good value little gem from Aldi. Very little malbec is now grown in France, but from the Cahors region of the southwest, this wine is a terrific example of how to keep malbec soft and juicy, with lovely brambly flavours.

At this price it’s an absolute steal to stock up on for Christmas parties and gatherings, and is ideal with a wide variety of foods, particularly any Mediterranean mezze or tapas-type dishes, as well as hard and blue cheeses. Keep an eye open for other wines from this brand.

Best: Midweek bottle

Rating: 8/10

Santiago Graffigna, originally from Italy, planted his first vines in the Mendoza region in 1870, so there is a lot of history going into this terrific little bottle. It’s ideally priced for a midweek treat to accompany, say, some tapas, a bowl of pasta with tomato-based sauce or a takeaway pizza. It’s boldly fruity, packed with juicy flavours of plums and blackberries, some very peppery notes and a nice full mouthfeel. All with an elegance that belies its sub-£10 price.  

Best: Luxury buy

Rating: 9/10

At almost 5,000m above sea level, the Adrianna site planted by Nicolas Cantena is said to be the Grand Cru vineyard of Argentina. A unique combination of soils, altitude and cool climate delivers wines of incredible concentration, but also balanced with mouthwatering fresh acidity, and capable of decent ageing.

This is a remarkable special occasion bottle, which has layer upon layer of flavours of black fruits, with hints of chocolate and liquorice to linger over. Pair with your finest foods, but particularly an exceptional T-bone steak.

Best: Malbec rose

Rating: 7/10

Caught up in the worldwide rosé boom, “pink” made from malbec is becoming increasingly common and it showcases the diversity of the grape. Despite being named after the dining clubs of Argentina that celebrated eating beef – there is a companion normal red malbec that justifies the name and is well worth seeking out – this is a dry, crisp, red berry-fruit-flavoured rose that is well priced enough to be a great party wine for the coming festive season and is wonderful with seafoods like prawns and crab and lighter goats cheeses.

Best: New Zealand malbec

Rating: 8/10

Can New Zealand do for malbec what it has done for those other European staples; pinot noir and sauvignon blanc? The answer here is definitely yes...

Leftfield is a good little label, run by the prestigious Te Awa winemaking concern, which produces distinctive varietal wines in the Hawkes Bay region. Its take on malbec here, drawn from vines grown in the famed Gimblett Gravels area, is an individual one – the mood here is dark and intense, with velvety flavours of black and brambly fruits and some serious dark chocolate and mocha notes. This is a warming wine for chill evenings and autumnal casseroles.

Best: Blend

Rating: 9/10

While malbec is sometimes used as a minor blending grape – as it was traditionally in Bordeaux – here, in the hands of Chilean winemaker German Lyon and the redoubtable Perez Cruz concern, working with grapes from the excellent Maipo Valley, it is matched 50-50 with Chile’s own signature grape, carmenere. This grape has a similar flavour palette to malbec, with lighter fruit and nut chocolate notes, blueberry, damsons and a little spice in the mix. The result here is a really big mouthful of a wine that will age wonderfully, if you can resist drinking it now, ideally with robust winter foods.